U.S. Senator Cory Gardner listens to a question from a member of the audience during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood. Gardner held 3 town meetings in Colorado Springs, Greeley and Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

A protestor gets escorted out by Lakewood police as he yells "You are not defending our healthcare," to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

U.S. Senator Cory Gardner addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

James Wooldridge, The Gazette

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner speaks at a town hall Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs. Gardner is planning three town hall meetings Tuesday in Colorado.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to US Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood. Gardner held 3 town hall meetings in Colorado Springs, Greeley and Lakewood.

James Wooldridge, The Gazette

Paulette Van Orden holds a disagree card as Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado speaks at a town hall Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colo. Gardner is planning three town hall meetings Tuesday in Colorado.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

Kristen Seidel holds up her Cardboard Cory, that she takes around the state saying that at least Cardboard Cory will listen to his constituents, as she waits to go into the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University to take part in a Town Hall meeting held by US Senator Cory Gardner on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood. Gardner held 3 town hall meetings in Colorado Springs, Greeley and Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

Men, who identified themselves only as "patriots", hold American flags outside the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University where a town hall meeting was held by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

U.S. Senator Cory Gardner listens to a question from a member of the audience during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

A protestor gets escorted out by Lakewood police as he yells "You are not defending our healthcare," to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People go through security before being allowed into the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University to take part in a Town Hall meeting held by US Senator Cory Gardner on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood. Gardner held 3 town hall meetings in Colorado Springs, Greeley and Lakewood.

James Wooldridge, The Gazette via AP

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., speaks at a town hall at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood. .

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to a constituent as she addresses U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

U.S. Senator Cory Gardner responds to a question from a member of the audience during a town hall meeting at Colorado Christian University in 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood. Gardner held three town hall meetings in Colorado Springs, Greeley and Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

Gale Martin knits while she waits in line for the doors to open at the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University to take part in a town hall meeting held by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood. Gardner held three town hall meetings in Colorado Springs, Greeley and Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

Kristen Seidel holds up her "Cardboard Cory," that she takes around the state saying that at least Cardboard Cory will listen to his constituents, as she waits to go into the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University to take part in a town hall meeting held by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People go through security before being allowed into the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University to take part in a town hall meeting held by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

With umbrellas in hand, people go through security before being allowed into the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University to take part in a town hall meeting held by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to a constituent as they address U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

Joe Beaver describes how difficult life would be for him without medicaid to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

People hold up signs reacting to a constituent as she addresses U.S. Senator Cory Gardner as he addresses a packed crowd during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

U.S. Senator Cory Gardner addresses Suzanne Krebs, of Longmont, after she asked a question during a fiery town hall meeting in the gymnasium at Colorado Christian University on Aug. 15, 2017 in Lakewood.

Months of frustration with U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and the GOP boiled over Tuesday as the Republican faced his constituents across the Front Range in his first in-person, solo town halls in more than a year.

The GOP strongholds of Greeley and Colorado Springs offered hostile questions about health care and President Donald Trump’s rhetoric toward North Korea. A crowd of about 1,000 in Lakewood was so loud that Gardner’s answers were rarely audible over their roar.

“I knew this would be a rowdy day,” Gardner told The Denver Post as he prepared to talk to constituents in Lakewood, his third, final and largest town hall of the day. “I knew this would be an energetic day, an enthusiastic day. If you look at town halls around the country, what we saw today was sort of a repeat of what we’ve seen around the nation. I had fun with it. I hope the people had fun with it as well.”

Gardner broke little new ground on his positions, attempting to explain his take on hot-button issues to crowds that booed him and at times shouted insults and profanities. “I’m trying to answer,” he said, “but I don’t get a chance.”

Gardner has been targeted for months by activists and others — mainly since Trump’s election to the presidency — for failing to hold an in-person town hall with his constituents since the spring of 2016.

Throughout the day, he declined to explicitly address the president’s “fire and fury” remarks last week toward North Korea, but he reiterated again and again the sentiment of his weekend comments — that Trump denounce Saturday’s deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., as domestic terrorism committed by white supremacists.

“I think it’s about time asses with Nazi flags go back to their hole,” Gardner said during the day’s first town hall in Colorado Springs, later denouncing statements Tuesday in which Trump again blamed “all sides” for the weekend’s unrest.

“We can’t let people think that somebody who believes in the KKK or white supremacy is part of any base. … Why we have a 20-year-old neo-Nazi in this country, I don’t know,” Gardner said at his Greeley town hall, in reference to the man who was charged with killing a counterprotester. “We have to stand up and fight (against that).”

“We asked you to stand your ground and not vote for (cutting Medicaid and not cutting pre-existing condition coverage mandates), and you did not,” a doctor, her arms crossed in frustration, told Gardner in Lakewood. “I want you to look me in the eye and tell me when the time really comes again that you will stand for (your constituents).”

“You talk about transparency, and you went into closed doors, … but you didn’t even have a woman on the panel,” said Scott McClain in Greeley to a standing ovation from the crowd.

Gardner said his goal was to make health care work for all and not reduce coverage for anyone, raising the issue of high premiums some in rural Colorado face under the ACA.

“We know that the Affordable Care Act has helped some,” he said, “but there are many people who haven’t been helped by it.”

At least two people at the town halls expressed displeasure that they voted for Gardner, but he and other Republicans haven’t able to repeal and replace then-President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, also known as Obamacare.

Outside of health care, Gardner’s support of Trump’s Cabinet picks and other policies were a common theme among the three town halls, each of which lasted an hour and a half.

Caution: profanity, etc. This guy is getting escorted out of the event after fighting with others in crowd pic.twitter.com/abPs3W22Bv

“The people of this country elected Donald Trump,” Gardner said to an eruption of anger, adding that he believes Trump is fit for office.

Asked about Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and adviser Sebastian Gorka, Gardner said he wouldn’t tell the president to fire any of his staff — which displeased many. He also defended Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, another Trump pick, by highlighting his trip earlier this month to the Gold King Mine, in southwest Colorado, and the promises he made there.

“We’ve seen a lot of division in this country,” Gardner said in Colorado Springs during a break in the jeers. “We are going to agree on some things, and we have. We are going to disagree on, apparently, a lot of things. But we have to respect each other and we have to have the ability to have a conversation.”

Someone in the crowd then began shouting at Gardner for not meeting with his constituents earlier, while someone else lambasted him for failing to directly answer a question about energy policy.

“Because when we shout people down,” Gardner said, “when we don’t listen to our neighbors and the different voices within our communities, that’s when we throw up walls.”

More in Colorado Politics

U.S. Senate candidate Dan Baer suspended his campaign Thursday and endorsed rival candidate John Hicknelooper. He's the third Democrat to drop out of the primary since Hickenlooper, the former governor, entered the race last month.

The end of Palisade peaches means the beginning of the fall political season -- even in a year without much on the ballot. That’s because politicians are already jockeying like it’s 2020. Following John Hickenlooper’s entry into the upcoming race for U.S. Senate, a second candidate is riding into the Rocky Mountains sunset. See below for what John Walsh told...

In a nondescript Lakewood office building Tuesday night, Michael Bennet’s increasingly uphill campaign for president received what his supporters hope will be a breath of life. Or, at least, proof of life.